Sunday, August 2, 2015

Wakefield

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Etsyoga, Etski, Eatsy (at Etsy)

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Etsy’s culture endures the growth

Dear god, suddenly it’s like you’re the CEO — or royalty (in a faraway land where they still have royalty). They are making a desk for you by hand! In a special workshop! But you’re neither CEO nor royalty. This is Etsy, and you just work there.

In 2005, Etsy was founded by three; they are now 300. But the handmade feel and tight community that were instilled in the company (reflections of the Etsy platform itself) have survived the growth. No joke — they really will make you a desk when you join. (Unless you prefer something off the shelf.) You also get a standard issue lab coat to decorate (for Etsy Labs days) and 100 greenbacks to spend in the Etsy marketplace on desk accoutrement.

And the community piece? There are weekly Etsyoga classes, annual Etski weekends, twice-weekly Eatsy catered family-style lunches, and the popular hackdays where self-selected teams work together on Etsy hacks all day long.

The cultural commitment has paid off. The company rarely loses someone to a competitor, and most employees stick around for the long haul. Case in point is Etsy-staffer Adam Brown, who we spoke with -— he’s been there for five years.